it's all over bit torrent and you can download it on some websites. you'll most likely need vmware. the final version will run on netbooks.

i tried it on a test vmware system i have at work with no DHCP. can't get past the login screen because it didn't get an IP and it needs internet access to function. it uses your google ID for authentication. and there was no way to configure networking prior to login

downloaded vmware player and will play with it again tonight

i love how it's 2009 and Google plans on selling a computer with no functionality without internet access. my commodore 64 worked just fine without the internet, AOL or prodigy. the experience made me want to dump my iphone and get a Droid. who needs 2GB of apps you can use without internet access?

Offline use is still a bit vague but it looks like apps will have to be developed specifically to work offline. This is an extremely limited use or niche use OS that I don't really understand the necessity of.

the whole thing seems to be a web browser. there is kind of a home screen with different "applications" but they all open in a new tab. there are the usual google apps like gmail, reader and books and youtube. then there is Hotmail, Yahoo, Hulu, Facebook and Twitter

i guess other than to make money off you by advertising they will sell you digital services and you don't to keep anything. 30 years of R&D, a company with some of the smartest people alive and we're back to the old AOL model

I was going to ask how it does something like play a local MP3 or video file, but then I thought, what kind of access to local files do you have? Is there any type of file manager? And what about basic OS stuff like setting the screen resolution, adding a printer, configuring the network settings, etc.

Netbooks are a niche product, and their sole purpose is to surf the web. Even an OS like Windows 7 isn't efficient enough for such a simple product. An OS like this does one thing and it does it well: Surf the web. It's not made for high-end tech geeks. It's made for people who buy netbooks.

__________________

"You already knew this, Mallet, but you're obviously a better man than I (expect this to be quoted in a sig). " -creekdipper
Watch me squawk on Twitter: @Supermallet
Check out my vinyl collection!

Netbooks are a niche product, and their sole purpose is to surf the web. Even an OS like Windows 7 isn't efficient enough for such a simple product. An OS like this does one thing and it does it well: Surf the web. It's not made for high-end tech geeks. It's made for people who buy netbooks.

Yeah, I'm not sure people realize that this is a product specifically, at the time being, for the netbook market. For what it is and is intended to do I think it looks like a great option.

I don't know, I think it could be pretty cool and see a nifty use for it. Especially with nettop devices and integrating with Google Documents, it makes the need for a standalone office program less important.

First, it's all about the web. All apps are web apps. The entire experience takes place within the browser and there are no conventional desktop applications. This means users do not have to deal with installing, managing and updating programs.

Second, because all apps live within the browser, there are significant benefits to security. Unlike traditional operating systems, Chrome OS doesn't trust the applications you run. Each app is contained within a security sandbox making it harder for malware and viruses to infect your computer. Furthermore, Chrome OS barely trusts itself. Every time you restart your computer the operating system verifies the integrity of its code. If your system has been compromised, it is designed to fix itself with a reboot. While no computer can be made completely secure, we're going to make life much harder (and less profitable) for the bad guys. If you dig security, read the Chrome OS Security Overview or watch the video.

Most of all, we are obsessed with speed. We are taking out every unnecessary process, optimizing many operations and running everything possible in parallel. This means you can go from turning on the computer to surfing the web in a few seconds. Our obsession with speed goes all the way down to the metal. We are specifying reference hardware components to create the fastest experience for Google Chrome OS.

Also, I think the release currently out is not indicative of what Google has in mind for the final release. They had a press conference recently that showed Chrome OS doing a lot more than what this does.

__________________

"You already knew this, Mallet, but you're obviously a better man than I (expect this to be quoted in a sig). " -creekdipper
Watch me squawk on Twitter: @Supermallet
Check out my vinyl collection!

i understand the netbook angle.. but those netbooks still typically have pretty decent specs
and its kindof silly to restrict your ability at the os level

sure, some people will say they only want to be able to cruise the net.. but its going to suck when they also realize the functionality they are giving up, that they just took for granted.

I was thinking about the hardware and how this might make sense if you can build cheap netbooks, but really even a highly optimized chrome will need some decent hardware to run smoothly, especially if you want it to run "web apps". You could save a few bucks on disk storage but if they want to deliver a good user experience they won't be able to skimp on the cpu, memory or screen.

I don't know, I think it could be pretty cool and see a nifty use for it. Especially with nettop devices and integrating with Google Documents, it makes the need for a standalone office program less important.

sure, some people will say they only want to be able to cruise the net.. but its going to suck when they also realize the functionality they are giving up, that they just took for granted.

I imagine the issue will be what functionality is actually being given up. Need to create or edit documents? Google Documents can actually do so fairly well, although it's definitely missing a lot of features. Music? Things like Pandora and other streaming audio sources can meet that need.

It's definitely a niche thing, but I can see it being fairly useful depending on the device running it, system requirements, or whatever.

Of course, I love Chrome over Firefox and IE so Google has done me no wrong yet

If I had a netbook, I'd run the Netbook version of Ubuntu. Does everything you need locally, gives you access to a lot of apps, hooks into any type of network, can exchange files with Windows machines, is very secure, and it still runs fast.

I imagine the issue will be what functionality is actually being given up. Need to create or edit documents? Google Documents can actually do so fairly well, although it's definitely missing a lot of features. Music? Things like Pandora and other streaming audio sources can meet that need.

It's definitely a niche thing, but I can see it being fairly useful depending on the device running it, system requirements, or whatever.

Of course, I love Chrome over Firefox and IE so Google has done me no wrong yet

I like pandora but it's not a replacement for my own music and choosing to what I want to listen to. At least with slacker on a blackberry I can cache music.

I like pandora but it's not a replacement for my own music and choosing to what I want to listen to. At least with slacker on a blackberry I can cache music.

Of course not. Google's saying that Chrome OS isn't targeted to replace desktops and to compete with Windows/OSX/Linux. I imagine with the right webapp, streaming music stored on your desktop would be easily done.